Pressure for answers and justice

Seeing that the firearm-wielding men were total strangers, were not in uniform and did not identify themselves, he thought they were bandits and sought to outrun the pick-up. The strangers fired and killed Sopha. It turned out that the killers were border patrol cops seeking drug-runners.

Nakhon Si Thammarat police chief Pol Lt Gen Ronnapong Saikaew promised a full and fair investigation into Sopha’s death, saying that “The officers must accept responsibility or face arrest. Officers must wear the uniform to make themselves recognisable.”

But the authorities’ words are but words in the wind. As long as you, dear reader, keep silent, they will continue with killing innocents and others who do not deserve to be killed – for your government, whether it be that of Thaksin, Abhisit or Yingluck, has, by a wink and a nod, approved such extra-judicial killings. Remember the alleged 2,500 bodies of Thaksin’s last anti-drug war, Krue Se (32 bodies), Tak Bai (83 bodies), and Nong Chik (4 bodies)? Nobody’s been even charged, let alone court-martialled. 

“Evil will flourish where good men do nothing”, said Edmund Burke, and the ongoing killings are proof. So why do you, sir and madam, keep silent?

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok